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Alberta Theatre Projects is a Calgary-based, not-for-profit, professional theatre company. We create live, world-class contemporary theatre from our home in the Martha Cohen Theatre at Arts Commons. We are a national leader in new play development. Programming is driven by the collision of diverging ideas, points of view, class, gender, or cultural perspectives and is selected from the finest Canadian and international plays, and new works commissioned and developed in-house. Our productions radically explore our space, blurring the line between the audience and the artist through multiple seating configurations each season.
Alex Bonyun is Communications Manager for Arts Commons. Her interests range from writing about the arts, to photography, and painting tiny things. She’s even authored a kids’ book for imaginative early readers. Her philosophy is that everyone has a story worth sharing.
Anthony T. Russell is a first-generation Canadian of Jamaican descent. Residing in Calgary his whole life, Anthony has had the pleasure of making long-lasting connections to the community and the people in it. Although he was able to cultivate meaningful relationships, he also had to endure the pressure and stigma that came with being a young black male in a marginalized community. Because of these hardships, Russell had to find a way to cope with the struggles he faced daily. Making and creating art was something Anthony did from a young age, so when it came time to combat these stigmas and stereotypes that he faced, art was the obvious and only way he knew how to fight against them. Anthony firmly believes that we can change the current condition of our community, country and even the world through creation and caring.
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Arts Commons is the steward of Western Canada's largest arts centre, and the artistic and civic cornerstone of Calgary's downtown core, comprised of six world-class resident companies. By championing inclusion and reconciliation, and increasing the accessibility and reach of the arts in Calgary, we are reimagining the performing arts and ensuring their rightful place at the centre of civic life.
Founded in 1975, the Calgary Civic Symphony has been performing live orchestra music in Calgary for over forty years. Begun as a venue for non-professional or retired musicians, the Civic Symphony has grown in both numbers and artistic excellence. Each year the Civic presents a series of five concerts. These concerts range from classical works to pop, film, and Christmas favourites. Also, our concerts feature collaborations with some of Calgary’s best soloists and musical organizations. As a result, each show is a unique and exceptional experience.
The Calgary Philharmonic celebrated 65 years as a pillar of Calgary’s vibrant arts community in 2020 and has grown to be one of Canada’s most celebrated live music ensembles. Led by Music Director Rune Bergmann, the Orchestra presents classical standards, pop favourites, bold collaborations, and cutting-edge new works, and attracts world-renowned guest artists and dynamic conductors each season. In addition to 66 orchestra musicians, the Calgary Phil is one of two major symphony orchestras in Canada that has its own chorus of over 125 volunteer singers, which celebrates 60 years in 2023. The Chorus, led by Chorus Director Dr. Mark Bartel, performs a wide variety of repertoire, including oratorio, opera, light classics, contemporary music, pops, and commissioned new works.
Celina Vides is an artist honoured to live and work in Mohkinstsis. She is also the Management Information Systems Specialist for Arts Commons and a freelance Digital Strategy consultant. She volunteers for the board of directors of Seities Magazine and the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI). She is passionate about equity and diversity in the arts. She is interested in all things film, photography, and food. In her spare time, she watches a lot of movies, likes looking at pictures, and taking pictures too. Oh, and she loves cats!
Christopher Loach is the Media Relations Director at Theatre Calgary. He has been quietly working away on theatre stuff for many seasons.
Ciza is a photographer and visual storyteller who recently immigrated to Calgary in December 2021. Originally from Kerala, India, Ciza holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from TKM College of Engineering, Kerala, India, and a master’s degree in arts management from Cattolica University in Milan, Italy. Ciza’s work is driven by her personal experiences as an Indian woman living in a Western setting. Through her photography, she tells stories about people and culture, with a particular focus on exploring the nuances of life as an Indian person in a new and unfamiliar environment. Find her on Instagram at @dailydoseofciza
Clare is a multidisciplinary artist who has has appeared on TV and in feature films, including her role as Caroline Kraft in the cult classic, Mean Girls. She is a recipient of the Houselighters of the Citadel Theatre Award and has been nominated for numerous awards including the John Hirsch Director Award and twice for the Gina Wilkinson Award. Clare is a certified yoga instructor and the Artistic Director of Downstage.
In one sentence, Courtney is a lover of learning, musicals, and adventures. In more detail, she is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Arts Commons. Courtney currently holds a Master's degree in Arts Leadership, and Bachelor’s degree in Communications for Cultural and Creative Industries. Having relocated to Calgary from the farming village of Zurich, Ontario, Courtney is thrilled to be within driving distance of the mountains, and walking distance of everything else.
Denise Summers is the Principal of Amphora Communications and the former host of Stand Out! a video interview series celebrating women founders and business leaders, published on Calgary and Edmonton’s Business digital news platform. Since opening her consultancy in 2007, Denise has worked with numerous organizations in the arts, nonprofit, financial, medical, energy, construction, healthcare and insurance sectors, among others, to tell their stories.
Karlee is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and an Alberta-based artist, professor, psychologist, and founder of maskihkiy wellness. All of Karlee’s work centres around iyiniw (Indigenous) approaches to wellness and healing. Karlee is a self-taught artist who began painting with acrylics in 2015 as a form of personal therapy, which quickly evolved to works that support her ongoing learning and expression of her iyiniw cultures, languages, and teachings. Her visual art is typically acrylic and mixed media on canvas or natural materials, though she also practices traditional arts such as beadwork, drum making, and practical handiwork. Her art is currently on display in The Ledge Gallery at Arts Commons. You can follow her @miyotehiskwew.art on Instagram or miyotehiskwew art on Facebook.
Felipe Jasso is a Mexican Canadian photographer who graduated from the Alberta University of the Arts. His works are influenced by the magical realism found in Latin literature, surrealism, classical art, and symbolism. He investigates the subconscious, memory and his inner desires. Using symbolism and complex tableaux, Jasso brings to the forefront fragments of his experiences as a kid growing in Mexico, an immigrant, a queer artist, and his negotiations with the Canadian landscape. Jasso is the former director of The Craig Gallery as a student, and currently he is the curator of Pride in Art. He recently joined The Lumian Collective and has shown his work in New York.
Gavin John is a documentary photographer and photojournalist based in Calgary, Canada. Gavin’s work focuses on documenting conflict, unrest, and social issues. His work has taken him to document events in Iraq, North Korea, the United States, the Philippines, and around Canada. Gavin is a proud member of Indigenous Photograph collective.
Jenna Shummoogum is a communications coordinator by day and a theatre and dance critic by night. She has been a theatre and dance critic for over a decade and has contributed work to The Dance Current online and in print, LiveWire Calgary, getdown.ca, the Calgary Herald in print and online, and Avenue Magazine online. She was a member and lead organizer of the Calgary Theatre Critics’ awards (The Critters) for 2 years and is a member of the Canadian Theatre Critics' Association.
Jennifer Merio is Marketing and Communications Manager for Alberta Theatre Projects. She has worked as a Graphic Designer and Brand Director for over 20 years, and is also an instructor at the Alberta University of the Arts in the School of Communication Design. Jennifer is actively involved in the Calgary theatre scene as an actor, improv artist, director, producer, and marketer, and loves the strong bonds of this vibrant community. When she’s not busy being creative, you can usually find her hanging out close to home with her two kids, her cat, and her dog.
Jennifer is the Education Coordinator at Arts Commons. Her background in the creative arts allows her access to a diverse set of skills as a Poet, Playwright, Performer, Clown, Mover, Yoga Instructor, and Aesthetic Educator who has a passion for telling stories in surprising ways. Jennifer approaches her craft with great intensity, curiosity and openness and if she can turn something into a collaborative game –– she will!
As a performing arts professional, Karen passionately believes in the power of the arts to impact, inspire, and create change. She creates transformative arts experiences that invite and immerse students, educators, artists, and community members in programs that open minds through arts-inspired education.
Karen is committed to sharing the joy of live theatre, music, dance and visual arts with Albertans of all ages, as well as sharing her unnatural love of Corey Hart with anyone who will listen.
Karen is committed to sharing the joy of live theatre, music, dance and visual arts with Albertans of all ages, as well as sharing her unnatural love of Corey Hart with anyone who will listen.
Katherine Rawlinson is a writer, producer and performer and the newest member of the dynamic Downstage team.
Since being sarcastically challenged by a friend while making chocolate covered strawberries, KC Bae (they, them) continues to explore and innovate edible portraiture techniques. Using an iterative and mathematical approach, KC takes meticulous measurements and develops recipes and techniques. KC has no formal artistic training or talent, but they can whip you up a tasty cookie that looks like your own face. This cookie may also make you cry. Find them on Instagram at @painting.bae
Kiani Evans is the Manager of Digital Communications for Arts Commons. She grew up in the rural Cariboo region of British Columbia and acquired a diploma in Art History on Vancouver Island (and refuses to give it back). She is delighted by all things art and takes joy in small moments, like finding lost change or missing socks. Kiani had trouble writing this bio, so she Googled “how to write a bio.” It didn’t help.
Lia is a writer and storyteller with Masters in Arts finding her own language expressions between English and Portuguese. Four years ago she left the beautiful beaches and magical forests of Brazil to seek new stories in Calgary's cold winter. Passionate about the daily adventure of living, Lia is fascinated by human resilience and is interested in hearing and telling stories about the different beginnings that everyone, newcomers or not, face throughout their lives. Thanks to the ICAI and the IAMP program, Lia is currently working on two Visual Storytelling projects about Newcomers and Language Barriers. She is also translating some of her short stories related to the culture shock of newcomers in Calgary into English, hoping to publish them soon.
As a proud Canadian and New Yorker, Lisa’s credits are world renowned. She was an original cast member in Broadway’s Shuffle Along, where she received both the Fred Astaire Award and the Actor’s Equity Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus. Her TV credits include the 70th Annual Tony Awards and Amazon’s Original Z, The beginning of everything. Since 2010 she has run her own performance company Tap Phonics and has been commissioned to present for such organizations such as The Brooklyn Museum, 92Y, Gibney Dance and Fall For Dance North. Above all, her proudest achievement greatest inspiration, is the gift of being a mom.
Marcus Ogden is a Ticketing Associate at Arts Commons. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Studies from the University of Calgary along with a Diploma in Journalism from SAIT, where he was awarded the Jim Cunningham Award for his diligence as a student journalist. Marcus has a passion for arts and culture writing and multimedia production. He most enjoys finding stories and devising the most compelling ways to tell them.
Oliver is a small-statured, large-hearted non-binary performer and amateur playwright creating queer art whenever possible. They have been writing since they were young and have recently begun dreaming about disabled happiness and queer love being freely represented onstage.
Maureen McNamee is the communications manager for the Calgary Philharmonic. A longtime fan of arts and culture in Calgary, she previously worked as an arts writer and editor at Fast Forward Weekly and Alberta Views magazine. She also took several years of piano lessons and still enjoys playing (when nobody is listening).
Melanee Murray-Hunt is a writer, actor, producer and filmmaker. She just completed two film projects; Finding Mother for Caribbean Tales as well as a community oriented short, Secret Society for newcomer support organization, Action Dignity, and the mini-web series The Invisible Bruise made for the anti- domestic violence organization Sagesse. Melanee’s film The Invincible Jayson Garvey just premiered at the The Root Experience Film Festival in Washington. Her film Race Anonymous has won for “Best Drama” at the Edmonton Short Film Festival, and has won an award for Best Produced Screenplay at the Verge Film Festival. She has received a “Special Mention” for her directing work on The Trial of Miss Mudimbe. She has made other films including Do The Math which has aired at film festivals and on cable television. She and her husband penned the pilot for his solo show The White Guy for Time Warner. She has performed onstage at Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, 4th Line Theatre in Ontario, LA Women’s Shakespeare, Center Stage in Maryland and on camera for NBC, CBS, Universal, Fox, and Netflix among others.
The late Nabila Walji shared her passions as writer, photographer and graduate student at the University of Oxford. Most of her days and nights she spent contemplating, researching and dreaming about societies and cultures.
Okechukwu Nnamchi is an Igbo man from Enugu (coal city), a city in the Southeastern part of Nigeria, West Africa. He currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, where he writes poetry and performs spoken word compositions centred on the complexities and the exigencies of life. With his eclectic style of writing, he compels his listeners to think without inhibitions. Okechukwu is consistently perfecting his craft, and has become a familiar face in the rapidly expanding Calgary literary community. He has read a selection of his poems, and performed spoken word poetry at various events in the city, which includes: The 2022, Pitbull Poetry in The Park reading series curated by the City of Calgary Poet Laureate, Wakefield Brewster; the 2022 People's Poetry Festival, curated by Lisa Murphy Lamb; and the Chinook Blast Edition of the Alcove Live Artist Showcase held in February 2023, at the Alcove Centre for the Arts.
One Yellow Rabbit is an ensemble company of established theatre artists who produce and present vital works in Calgary and internationally that are created to build and enrich our community and develop future artists for our world.
Priscille Bukasa, a Calgary-based spoken word artist and writer, draws inspiration from her roots in the Democratic Republic of Congo, infusing her work with the richness of her upbringing and culture. With over 14 years of captivating performances, Priscille's dynamic presence has graced diverse stages, from conferences to marketing campaigns. As a teaching artist, she leads poetry workshops across all grade levels and serves as an art facilitator at Arts Commons. Priscille is also a member of the Cultural Instigator, supporting artists in fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion through impactful projects confronting social issues
Rheanna ‘caedance’ Lauren is a multilingual, multidisciplinary artist, community activator, and event & multimedia producer, born and raised in Mohkinststis, Treaty 7 (Also known as Calgary, Alberta.) She known as the founder of People are Pearls, Queendemme, and Areia Creative, and has written for 15+ years as a copywriter, poet, songwriter, and project producer. She enjoys studying various languages and cultures, bringing people together for unforgettable memories, and empowering excellent art.
Rukhsar Ali is a journalist, writer and artist based in Calgary. Currently, she's completing her Master of Journalism degree in Ottawa, working on a research project about hate crimes in the Prairies. As a science fiction enthusiast, Rukhsar's art and writing often imagine inclusive visions of the future. In her free time, Rukhsar likes to volunteer, crochet scarfs, spend time in the mountains, and discover new books to add to her growing "will read one day" pile.
Sandra Sutter is an award-winning Cree Métis recording artist, songwriter, musician, poet and filmmaker who writes, records and performs in multiple genres encompassing roots music, including Native Americana, folk, country, pop, jazz, blues and rock. Find her on Instagram at @sandrasuttermusic
SGS/Sarah and her partner, Tracey Erin Smith/TES, have an amazing dog called Matzo. The three of them are stewards of the beautiful summertime Birch Dale Lake in Nova Scotia. SGS is the outgoing Artistic Producer of the National Creation Fund (NAC) and is in the final stages (she hopes!) of her Ph.D. (Queen’s). TES leads www.soulo.ca and her work has been transforming lives for over 20 years! And Matzo, the dog, is getting ready for her first cowboy hat.
My name is Sebastian Rueda Montes and I am a Colombian-Canadian artist living and working in Calgary. I am currently a student going into my final year at the University of Calgary where I am taking a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama. My work primarily exists in the theatre where I am a performer, director, producer, and writer.
Shone Thistle is a Queer poet and multidisciplinary artist. Once described as a “feminist folk poet,” Shone’s poetry credits range from radio to jazz concerts, festivals to conferences. Shone played an integral role in brokering Calgary’s first permanent Pride and Trans crosswalks and was an active voice in the establishment of Canada’s strongest municipal bylaw against conversion therapy. Her superpower is taking disparate content and weaving it into a cohesive story.
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Jared Tailfeathers- Sikomh Kokomii (Calling Crane) is a biracial Blackfoot (Nitstitapi)/Caucasian, multidisciplinary artist, musician/sound artist (music teacher), Blackfoot/Treaty 7 art researcher/amateur historian, author and inventor. He works in various media, arts and culture groups, collectives, committees and galleries. His work is often narrative based, DIY, multimedia, with hints of traditional methods of making and interactive installations.
Sonny Carmona is the marketing + sales specialist at Calgary Philharmonic. Through her work she uplifts programs that align with the philosophy of El Sistema including Education Concert: Orchestral Wonders of the World which is conducted by Andrés González who was trained through the renowned social and musical program in Venezuela, El Sistema.
Stephen Hunt is a digital producer at CTV Calgary. He was a theatre critic at the Calgary Herald for 10 years and has reviewed Alberta theatre for the Globe & Mail since 2017.
Steven is a Filipino theatre director and actor with nearly 20 years of experience. He has directed and acted in numerous productions in Manila and Asia, including assistant directing for Tony winner Lea Salonga. He recently earned his MFA in Directing from the University of Calgary, where he directed A Monster Calls and Shakespeare in Love. In Calgary, he founded FlipSide Theatre Collective, the first Filipino Canadian theatre company in Alberta, and has directed productions like Good As Gold. He is currently directing for the University of Calgary's Wagonstage and Storybook Theatre.
Sue-Shane Tsomondo is a poet, curator and the creator of Sue’s Stokvel, a literary arts platform. Sue-Shane’s own work deals with issues of diasporan guilt, blackness, womanhood, and intergenerational trauma. She has previously performed for Woolfs’ Voices and Single Onion. In 2020, Sue-Shane appeared on the cover of the Calgary Journal. Sue-Shane is an aspiring editor and publisher or more accurately a Virgo Rising who thinks everything could be better.
Tasha is a photographer, writer, and passionate lover of art, food, travel, and all things digital. After many years working in agency, she took the step of intersecting her passion with her skills and joined Arts Commons as Director, Marketing & Communications. After 5 years in this role, she made the change to Vice President, Strategic Projects. Tasha spends most of her free time with her dog Lucy and her partner John, exploring inner city parks, traveling the continent in their camper van, or hanging out at the lake.
Thomas Johnson is the tallest rap critic in Calgary. His work has yet to appear in the Louvre. You can find him listening to all sorts of everything at Blackbyrd Myoozik.
Tomi Ajele is the Editor-In-Chief of Afros In Tha City, a media collective dedicated to amplifying Black voices in Mohkínstsis/Calgary. Her writing can also be found in The Huffington Post, the CBC, the Sprawl, Avenue Magazine, and ByBlacks. Tomi was recently awarded Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 for her work with Afros In Tha City.
In January 1999, Wakefield Brewster stepped onto his first stage as a poet and spoken word artist. Today, he is known as one of Canada’s most powerful professional performance poets. A Black man raised in Toronto by parents from Barbados, he has resided in Calgary since 2016, and it is in the New West where Wakefield has been able to truly flourish as a poet and as a person.
Will Chernoff is among the Canadian jazz scene’s most active and visible young personalities. Will is best known as the proprietor of Rhythm Changes, a Vancouver-based music website and podcast. Will’s work has been credited with supporting a resurgence of live jazz in Vancouver in the wake of the pandemic. A bassist by trade, he has released two studio albums as a bandleader. Find him at rhythmchanges.ca or find his music at williamchernoff.com.
Wunmi Idowu is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, filmmaker, performer, and producer and the Founder and Director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc. Since 2006, Woezo Africa has been passionately dedicated to bringing the history of African culture to the masses through traditional and modern modes of performing arts, including dance, music, theatre and storytelling. As a producer, Wunmi has organized both local and international productions in Lagos, Nigeria and in Canada. Wunmi’s accolades in the art sector span winning the People's Choice Performing Arts in the category of Dancer of the Year at the 2016 Obsidian Awards. The 24th Annual Immigrants of Distinction Award hosted by Immigrant Services Calgary and the Canada Vendors Entrepreneur Award in 2020, both of which were for the category of Arts and Culture. She won the Afro- Canadian (AC) Community Leader of the Year Award in 2020 and was a recipient of Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2021. Wunmi was recently recognized on The Nigerian-Canadian Association of Calgary’s (NCAC) Wall of Honour for her outstanding artistic and cultural influence to the City of Calgary.